There’s an analogy that says democracy is like two wolves and a lamb voting on what’s for dinner. This is especially true for sin taxes. The public believes it’s a good thing if we can raise taxes and make “those other people” pay for it. The public believes that gun owners are responsible for gun violence so this November we’ll be voting to decide if we should add an 6.5% tax on firearms and ammo. This is a sin tax, and I oppose sin taxes.
But a 2016 U.S. Department of Justice study investigated criminals in prison. Of the prisoners who used a firearm during their crimes, only 7% of them obtained their firearm from a retail source.
The criminals will not be paying this gun and ammo tax. If we need this tax, it should be paid by all citizens not just legal gun owners.
Dave Norman
Durango
